In a recent poll run by a Gramophone magazine, the Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam was voted the world's finest orchestra. The result seems to have surprised some commentators, who presumably expected a heavy hitter like the Berlin Philharmonic or the Chicago Symphony to come out on top, but the RCO's success was a triumph for musicality over flashier virtues, and reassurance for those who have long prized its special warmth and distinctive sensitivity. The Royal Concertgebouw is playing two concerts with the conductor who effectively propelled it to the top of the international tree. Bernard Haitink, who celebrated his 80th birthday this month, was in charge of the orchestra from 1959 until 1988, and is now its conductor laureate. Symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven and Bruckner feature in these appearances, from a partnership that is one of the few in music today that genuinely deserves to be described as legendary.